Self-igniting match-safe.



PATBNTED FEB. 2'7, 1906.

J. W. HART.

SELF IGNITING MATCH SAFE.

APPLICATION FIL'BD JULY 27 1905.

.1. MM X N ME /u .1 wN mm. x Q m I NM NN R Swvenloz Jbh/n/ WEW JOHN W. HART, OF LA HARPE, KANSAS.

SELF-IGNITING MATCH-SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed July 27, 1905. Serial No. 271,504.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Harpe, in the county of Allen and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Self-Igniting MatchTSafe, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a self igniting match-safe.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of match-safes and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive fireproof match-safe which will ignite the matches as they are removed from it and thereby obviate the necessity of striking the matches upon walls and other undesirable places and at the same time prevent the removal of more than one match at a time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a match-safe of this character which will permit the ready removal of the match-holding means in order that the match-engaging surfaces may be readily cleaned or'renewed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a match-safe constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the match-safe, taken at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the match-receiving shelves or partitions, illustrating the construction of the upper face thereof. Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating the construction of the lower face of the match-receiving shelves or partitions.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

1 designates the match-safe casing, constructed of metal or other suitable fireproof material and provided with vertical sides 2,

rising from a horizontal base 3 and connected at the front with upper and lower cross-pieces 4 and 5, the space between the upper and lower cross-pieces being open for exposing a series of horizontal match-receiving shelves or partitions 6. The casing is provided with a with a suitable fastening device 9 for securing the said back in its closed position. The back fits within the space between the casing and is adapted to force the matches into the cells or compartments hereinafter explained. The casing is also provided with a top 10, hinged at one end at 11 and secured in its closed position at the other end by a suitable fastening device 12.

The shelves or partitions, which are preferably constructed of metal, are provided at their ends with tongues or projections 13, which are arranged in vertical guides 14 of the inner faces of the sides, whereby the shelves are retained in position. The shelves, which extend entirely acrossthe casing, are introduced at the top and are yieldably held against upward movement by a substantially elliptical spring 15, secured at the top to a bar 16 and adapted to be compressed by an adjusting-screw 17, mounted in a threaded perforation of the top of the casing and. engaging the bar 16. The lower side of the spring 15 engages the upper face of the top partition 18. The top partition 18 is provided at its lower face with depending flanges 19, which are substantially L-shaped and which receive the end edges of a strip of emery-cloth 20. The other shelves or partitions 6 are provided at their upper faces with spacing ribs or enlargements 21, and the spaces between the ribs or enlargements form individual match-receiving cells 22. The ribs or enlargements extend from the front to the rear edges of the shelves and they space the body portions of the shelves from one another, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 of the drawings. The upper faces of the shelves between the ribs or enlargements 21 are roughened or corrugated to form matchengaging faces 23. The match engaging faces are preferably provided with file surfaces, and when the shelves or partitions are removed from the casing they may be readily cleaned by a brush or other suitable means. The lower faces of the shelves or partitions 6 are provided at their ends with back 7, hinged at one edge at 8, and the casing -is provided at the opposite edge of the back depending substantially L-shaped flanges 24, which form grooves for the reception of the ends of strips 25 of emery-cloth or other suitable abrasive material, which when Worn is adapted to be readily removed and renewed. The shelves are tapered from front to rear, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the taper increasing at the rear portions to enlarge the match-receiving cells or spaces 22 at the back for the reception of the heads of the matches. The spring permits the shelves or partitions to yield when the match is drawn outward, so that there is no danger of breaking off the head of a, match. The withdrawal or removal of a match from the safe causes the head to frictionally engage the file surface at the upper face of one partition and the emery-cloth at the lower face of the adjacent upper partition, whereby the match will be ignited, thereby obviating the necessity of striking the match after removing it from the casing. As the matches are ignited upon their removal, the match-safe is adapted to prevent more than one match from being removed at a time, and the waste of matches is thereby avoided. Also as an individual cell is provided for each match, there is no danger when withdrawing and igniting a match of the latter flashing back and setting fire to an entire row of matches. The matches 26 are designed to project from the front of the casing, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and the match-safe may be constructed of any desired size to adapt it for holding matches of different sizes and to enable it to hold the desired number of matches.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A match-safe provided with a plurality of partitions having flat faces at one side, said partitions being provided at the opposite side with ribs arranged at intervals and spacing the partitions, said ribs being fitted against the flat faces of the contiguous partitions and dividing the spaces between the partitions into individual match-receiving cells.

2. A match-safe provided with a plurality of partitions having flat faces at one side, said partitions being provided at the opposite side with ribs arranged at intervals and spacing the partitions, said ribs being fitted against the flat faces of the contiguous partitions and dividing the spaces between the partitions into individual match-receiving cells, and strips of abrasive material interposed between the ribs and the flat faces of the partitions.

8. A match-safe provided with a plurality of artitions having fiat faces at one side, sai partitions being provided at the opposite side with ribs arranged at intervals and spacing the partitions, said ribs being fitted against the fiat faces of the contiguous partitions and dividing the spaces between the partitions into individual match-receiving cells, and removable strips fitted against the flat faces of the partitions and supported by the ribs.

4. A match-safe, comprising a casing provided with horizontally-disposed individual ,match-receiving cells extending from the front to the back of the casing, said casing being open at the front, and a back hinged to the casing and arranged to engage the matches for forcing the same into the cells.

5. A match-safe, comprising a casing open at the front and provided at op osite sides with vertical ways, horizonta ly-disposed partitions slidable in the ways and having flat faces at one side and provided at the opposite side with ribs fitted against the contiguous flat faces of the partitions and spacing the same and dividing the spaces between the partitions into individual match-receiving cells, said cells extending from the front to the back of the casing, removable abrasive material interposed between the ribs and the flat faces of the partitions, and an adjustable device for yieldably holding the partitions in engagement with the matches and positively retaining the partitions in engagement with the strips of abrasive material.

6. A match-safe having a plurality of partitions provided with individual match-receiving spaces or cells, said partitions being also provided with flanges, and strips of abrasive material secured to the partitions by the flanges. p

7. A match-safe having a plurality of partitions provided at one side with individual match-receiving cells or spaces having matchen a ing faces, said partitions being also provi ed at the opposite side with means for detachably holding strips of abrasive material.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. HART.

Witnesses:

W. C. HANKINs, J. E. POWELL. 

